New Chandigarh, June 8 (IANS) India all-rounder Washington Sundar expressed satisfaction with both his bowling rhythm and batting discipline after playing a decisive role in India’s thumping 300-run win over Afghanistan in the one-off Test that concluded on the third day of play on Monday at the New PCA Stadium in Mullanpur.

The off-spinning all-rounder, who returned to the longest format after a gap and weeks of non-stop T20 cricket, said finding his rhythm immediately was one of the most pleasing aspects of his performance. Sundar followed up an unbeaten half-century in India’s first innings with a four-wicket haul in Afghanistan’s second innings as India wrapped up an innings-and-300-run win.

“I felt really good, especially to play this format after a while. I just wanted to get a lot of volume coming into the game and obviously I felt like I was getting the rhythm right from the scratch, from ball one. And that was definitely a very good feeling,” Sundar said after India’s win.

Sundar’s spell on the final morning proved instrumental in dismantling Afghanistan’s resistance. While conditions offered assistance to the bowlers, the 26-year-old stressed that his focus remained on consistency rather than altering his pace.

“I didn’t really think about the pace as such. I was just working on getting my rhythm right. Especially yesterday I was bowling really well. The way the ball was coming out of my hand, I was really pleased with it,” he explained.

The spinner added that understanding the nature of the surface was crucial to his success. With the pitch slowing down, he believed accuracy in length became more important than experimentation.

“I wanted to be as close to the stumps as possible. And obviously get those lengths really right because this wicket is a little slow. If you’re going to bowl a good length or a little back of length, the batsmen just did have a little bit of time to actually go on the back foot and sort of manoeuvre. So I had to really get lengths really right on this wicket,” Sundar said.

India’s bowlers were involved in a few unsuccessful reviews during the match, but Sundar viewed it as an inevitable part of modern cricket and a learning process for the team.

“It’s part and parcel of the game. We just try and go with our experiences in the past and obviously what our gut says at that point of time. You’ve got to use the technology to the best. We try and use it to the best. It doesn’t happen every time, but it’s just an experience,” he said.

Sundar’s contribution was not limited to the ball. Coming in during the latter stages of India’s imposing first innings total of 564 for 8 declared, he remained unbeaten on 52 and helped extend the lead beyond Afghanistan’s reach.

Reflecting on his all-round performance, Sundar said he was equally pleased with the maturity he displayed with the bat.

“Definitely, it felt really good, both with the bat and the ball,” he said. “I wanted to show good discipline with the bat and glad the way I sort of approached the entire innings.”

–IANS

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